1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fire extinguishing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a nozzle having a penetrating head which is used to penetrate barriers such as the skin of an aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art inventions describe fire extinguishing apparatus designed to penetrate the skin of an aircraft or other type of a barriers. Once the barrier has been penetrated fire extinguishing agent is exhausted through a nozzle means on the end of the penetrator. Pointed nozzles have been used in the past, in particular one which utilizes a point end to penetrate the barrier by the user driving it through the barrier by means of an attached slide hammer. Explosive means have been attempted to overcome the force required to penetrate a barrier; however, the explosive device cannot be used in an explosive atmosphere such as that of an aircraft or spacecraft fire. A spring-loaded and fired device is described in Barge (U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,077). Research has shown that handheld penetrators cannot be used off a ladder without endangering the firefighter.
A fogging spray pattern has been found to be very effective in extinguishing fires and has the advantage that it is not under high pressure once it exits the nozzle. This allows a person to maneuver very close to the nozzle with out being hampered by the effects of the water pressure. The spray pattern of the prior art is created by straight jet orifice nozzles distributed around a head end. The straight jet orifice nozzles create straight streams which can miss the fire altogether. Research into aircraft fires has discovered that a fore-and-aft dispersion of a fogging type spray is the most effective in extinguishing interior fires.
Numerous innovations for Aircraft Penetrator have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,067, titled Portable fire fighting tool, invented by John Esposito and Norman E. Atwater, a portable fire fighting tool that is connectable to a portable fire extinguisher is described. This tool comprises a penetrating head with a removable, sharp cutting element thereon and wherein the penetrating head is preferably connected at 90.degree. to a linear, hollow handle. At the opposite end of the handle a quick connect device may be used to connect a portable fire extinguisher and the handle together. This tool is especially useful in fighting an automobile or truck engine or trunk compartment fire when the automobile or truck is locked preventing entry into the engine compartment or the trunk. By forcing the penetrating head down and through the sheet metal of the engine or trunk compartment, the cutting element cuts through the sheet metal. When the fire extinguisher is discharged, the fire extinguishing agent (e.g., foam, water, dry chemical, Halon or CO.sub.2) flows down over the cutting element in an umbrella-like fashion extinguishing the fire without doing further damage to the automobile or truck.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is used with a portable extinguishing system which is of low volume. The patented invention has one nozzle which exhausts fluids under low pressure within a small confined area. The patented invention does not have a fogging nozzle. The present invention attaches to a mechanical boom which provides the penetration force and a high pressure source of fluids. The present invention has several fogging nozzles which direct fluid in multiple direction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,106, titled Fire-fighting tool particularly for shipboard fires and the like, invented by Jerome A. Coughlin, a fire tool consists of a nozzle section having a penetrator section at the end and an attachment section at the bottom for attachment to an extensible hydraulic ram. The ram has a base adapted to be secured to a horizontal surface such as the deck of a ship next to a vertical surface such as a bulkhead in such ship and the entire unit is leaned against the bulkhead with a specially designed point against such bulkhead. The hydraulic ram is then activated to force the tip of the penetrator into the bulkhead and ultimately through the bulkhead, after which water may be sprayed into the area behind the bulkhead where a fire may be burning through spray orifices in the nozzle section, the water being injected into the nozzle section through a fitting on the opposite side of the bulkhead from the spray orifices. The arrangement of the fire-fighting tool at an angle between the deck and the bulkhead assures that there will invariably be a rigid surface available for enabling pressure of the hydraulic ram to be exerted forcefully enough on the end of the penetrator section to breach the wall or bulkhead. The point of the penetrator is designed so that it will dig into the wall surface efficiently and effectively even though it is applied to such wall surface at an angle.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a hydraulic ram which must be anchored to a structurally sound member. The hydraulic ram pushes against the structure which drives the point through a bulkhead. The present invention is portable and does not require a secure structure to brace against; it is mounted onto a boom from a fire truck.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,486, titled Firefighter's Barrier Penetrator and Agent Injector, invented by Charles H. McClenahan, a firefighter's barrier penetrator and agent injector has an extendible slide rod to guide a slide hammer to strike a penetrating body to drive its point through the barrier. The slide rod can be retracted into the body to minimize the length of the penetrator while being carried. A nozzle is slidably mounted in the body to be extendible into the structure for injection purposes, again to minimize the carrying length. Retention devices releasable hold the rod and nozzle in their retracted positions.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a handheld penetrator having a slide hammer means to drive the pointed tip through the skin of an aircraft. The user must hold the penetrator and simultaneously slide the hammer back and forth to drive the tip through the aircraft skin. Orifices are not fogging and no orifices are placed in the tip projecting along the axis. The present invention attaches to a mechanical boom which provides the penetration force and a high pressure source of fluids. The present invention has several fogging nozzles which direct fluid in multiple directions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,084, titled Fire Extinguishing Apparatus Having a Slidable Mass for a Penetrator Nozzle, invented by Robert A. Frosch, Norris C. Gray, Robert M. Senseny, and Philip N. Bolton, a fire extinguishing apparatus delivers an extinguishing agent through a barrier surrounding a structure into the interior thereof. The apparatus includes an elongated tubular nozzle body which has a pointed penetrating head carried on one end of the tubular body. A source of extinguishing agent is coupled to the opposite end of the tubular body and is fed therethrough and passes through passages adjacent the head for delivering the extinguishing agent to the interior of the structure. A slidable mass is carried on the tubular body on a remote end of the tubular body from the penetrating head. By manipulating the slidable mass and bringing such in contact with an abutment the force imparted to the tubular body causes the head to penetrate the structure.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a handheld penetrator having a slide hammer means to drive the pointed tip through the skin of an aircraft. The user must hold the penetrator and simultaneously slide the hammer back and forth to drive the tip through the aircraft skin. The patented invention has nozzles which project streams of fluid but do not produce a fogging spray. The present invention attaches to a mechanical boom which provides the penetration force and a high pressure source of fluids. The present invention has several fogging nozzles which direct fluid in multiple directions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,216, titled Penetrator/nozzle Arrangement, invented by Robert W. Schnepfe, Jr., and Laban R. Lowe, Sr., a penetrator/nozzle arrangement, particularly for enabling fighting of fires in aircraft and other difficult access target units, has a telescopic nozzle formed by a spray nozzle tube section telescopically slidable on a concentric feed tube, with a cylindrical cutter mounted for sliding movement about the nozzle and toward a target unit. A cartridge is fired to drive the cutter toward the forward spray end of the nozzle, thereby cutting the effective skin of a target and enabling the nozzle to be moved therethrough with its forward spray discharge end extending into the target interior zone for passage of fluid, powder, or other desired agent through the nozzle into the target interior.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention uses a cartridge to drive a cutter through a barrier. Because of the explosive nature of the cartridge this device is not acceptable for use in an explosive environment. The present invention does not use an explosive cartridge to penetrate the skin of the aircraft. The present invention is mounted onto a boom and is not handheld as is the patented invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,077, titled Sprinkler Head with Wall Penetrating Means, invented by Timothy T. Barge, a sprinkler head for use in residential areas, or the like, requiring the maintenance of aesthetic appearance, includes a bayonet impacted by a spring-biased power sleeve for penetrating an interior ceiling or wall. The power sleeve is restrained in the ready position by a wire cable having a rupturable portion separable by heat or other means controlled by a remote device for sensing in incendiary condition in the space to be fire-protected on the opposite side of the ceiling or wall from the sprinkler head.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a sprinkler head concealed in a wall or ceiling. It provides for a cosmetically pleasing method to hide the common sprinkler heads. It does not penetrate any barrier or skin but a specific barrier designed to be penetrated. Penetration is achieved by a spring member which forces a tip through a thin barrier. The present invention penetrates the structural skins of aircraft and other barriers. It is not designed to be concealed within a ceiling or wall. The present invention attaches to a mechanical boom which provides the penetration force and a high pressure source of fluids. The present invention has several fogging nozzles which direct fluid in multiple directions.
Numerous innovations for Aircraft Penetrator have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.